Making The Cane |
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 1) In this demonstration I am using Premo! clay. My opaque color is the Premo Pearl White. My translucent is the Premo Bleached with fine microglitter included into it. Not shown here is a thin layer of Premo! silver on the bottom to make this demonstration easier for you to see. Making sure you have the same amount of both clays, condition them by squishing, squeezing and folding until you can roll them into a fat log and bend it in half without the clay splitting along the outside of the fold. (Once you have mastered the jellyroll, you can vary the amounts of clay in relation to one another and add as many layers as you please.) |
 2) Roughly roll each color into a log and, in turn, place it in the center between the guides. |
 3) Smash the current color down with your fingers to get a good start, taking care not to smash any of it too thin. |
 4) Now take your bottle or whatever and roll at an angle to spread the clay all the way out to the guides. Turn your bottle at the opposite angle and repeat with the other side of clay so it is touching both guides. |
 5) When the clay is spread to fill the guides, place your bottle so it goes in the same direction as the guides and roll back and forth until your clay is the same thickness of the guides. |
 6) The clay will spread over the paper guides a little, so during the rolling process, push the errant clay back into the middle and continue rolling. |
 7) When the differen the proper thickness, remove the guides. |
 8) Now, using your long cutting blade - here I'm using a tissue blade - slice your sheet up from the work surface and set it aside. Repeat Steps 1-7 with the other color of clay. |
 9) When you have both sheets rolled out, trim one end of each so it's nice and neat. Place your translucent on top of your opaque clay. (Note: Since my two colors look so much alike, I have covered the top and bottom of my opaque with a very thin sheet of Premo! silver pearl to help you see better.) It is now your option to set the translucent back about a quarter of an inch as I've done here and fold the opaque edge up and over it. Or you can align the ends up evenly. |
 10) Pick up your cutting blade and press it into the clay at an angle about 1/8" from the end where you will begin rolling. |
 11) This gives you a little start, making the beginning of the roll a lot easier. (Thank you, Leigh Ross, for teaching me that trick.) |
 12) Begin rolling, but be careful. If you just roll lickity-split, you will get areas where the clay isn't touching, creating air pockets. So work it slowly, pressing and squeezing (note the position of the demonstrator's fingers) to insure the clay is rolled snug and tight with no air bubbles. |
 13) When you've completed the roll, slice off any excess clay. |
 14) You now have the option of rolling it a little bit back and forth under your palm to get the final edge to blend into the roll. However, this step isn't necessary. If you do accomplish this step, do not roll any more than necessary. |
Voila, you now have a
Jellyroll Cane!!! If you are going to reduce it, go to the tutorial for Cane Reduction. |
